I
cannot resist pondering the question of why the harsh criticism, bashing, and unfavorable
views of Donald Trump are so unceasingly prevalent, even though the U.S.
economy has been performing robustly. Most of its vital signs are improving since
his election and he is taking credit for this. However, some people give credit for this
improvement to former President Obama who left the office more than a year ago.

We
tend to tolerate those we have an economic stake in and expect benefits from. In
the case of Trump, however, even this tradition is not observed simply because
our judgment about him is obscured by his self-absorbed and arrogant
personality, his politically incorrect attitudes, and the way he conducts
himself in public. He is too opinionated, rude to others, and makes a mockery
of every situation or every individual whether deserving of ridicule or not. To
me, Trump is acting like the ferocious bear in an illuminating Persian tale who
almost killed his friend by smashing a big piece of rock into his face just to get
rid of an insect he thought was bothering his friend. In his twisted mind, the
bear thought he was helping his friend. In reality, however, he was harming and
almost killed him by doing what he did. Likewise, Trump may mean to do good
deeds, but he cannot, however, express his intentions considerately and cordially.
This is what makes people reactionary and suspicious about his genuineness. Trump
has continued to exhibit this kind of off-putting behavior that was first in
evidence during the election campaign.

I
am one of those tens of millions of people who were disappointed and taken by
surprise by the outcome of the presidential election. I believe, however, that
democracy is like a competitive market; it works best if it is left to its own
devices. Occasionally, of course, it may produce an outcome that may not be
acceptable to many who become disappointed or even outraged. We should,
however, hold on to our faith in the system. Analogous to the competitive
system, democracy has its own built-in, self-regulating mechanisms that kick in
and amends itself, thus restoring its normal balance. This corrective action
may not happen quickly, but all we need to do is wait.

For
many of us, there is no acceptable excuse for what the Trump voters did,
electing a person to an office he is deemed to be utterly unfit for. However,
we cannot reject the whole thing and declare it to be a manifestation of hate,
racism, and bigotry, especially against minorities and Muslims. Doing so gives
us a false sense of self-satisfaction. As rational individuals, we have to
explore ways to come to term with what happened almost a year ago and think
about it critically. Succumbing to emotion, while understandable, may not be
productive.

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The
bottom line is that Trump is not a qualified politician to assume the U.S. presidency.
He has neither political experience nor a record of public service. Those who
voted for him did so heedlessly, based on selfish expectations that Trump may
be able to fulfill for them. However, If Trump happens to not be the person his
base voters expected him to be, they, like the rest of us, have no choice but
to wait for four years. Trump's election reminds me of the very apropos expression:
Who died and left you in charge? Let's
hope that in the upcoming primaries and next presidential elections, the answer
will not be right-minded voters who used to have high standards for their
political leaders.

Reza Varjavand (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma) is associate professor of economics and finance at the Graham School of management, Saint Xavier University, of Chicago. He has been an avid participant in many professional organizations and active in (more...)